Athens brothels: Danes tell others to stay quiet
COPENHAGEN (AP) – The president of Denmark’s Olympic Committee yesterday chided Nordic and Baltic governments for criticizing a decision by Greek authorities to increase the number of brothel permits before the 2004 Olympics. [Athens Municipality says it is simply trying to enforce the law and prostitutes have held protests against this.] «It’s totally nonsense that some governments mingle in other countries’ affairs,» said Kai Holm, president of Denmark’s National Olympic Committee and Sports Confederation of Denmark. «Prostitution is legal in Greece and that’s it.» On Wednesday, the ministers for gender equality from Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania sent a letter to the mayor of Athens expressing their «abhorrence» over the brothel issue. The Danish Minister for Social Affairs and Gender Equality Henriette Kjaer didn’t sign the letter, calling the action «childish.»